Engineering Company To Study Miller Ranch Traffic Concerns

City Engineer Scott Crain had a hard time getting Mayor Karen McCulloh to understand a new traffic study for Miller Ranch would look at
present and future growth.

In fact he did not sell the Mayor, she voted against having BG Consultants doing the study. McCulloh noted that the new Amherst Avenue
going into the Miller Ranch Subdivision was still closed. She felt a study could not be conducted with the road closed.

Here is a memo given to the Commission:

BACKGROUND

On January 18, 2000, the City Commission approved an ordinance annexing Miller Ranch, Unit 3. During the discussion, there was much
public input regarding traffic studies that had been performed by the developer. There were also concerns expressed surrounding the existing
characteristics of Amherst Avenue and an interest for an additional vehicular connection to Miller Ranch to lessen future traffic impacts on
the Amherst Avenue corridor.

As a result of those discussions, the City Commission recommended that a study of a new north-south street connection to Anderson
Avenue between the western edge of University Heights and Scenic Drive should be prepared.

Funding for this project has been secured, to an amount not to exceed $35,000, through the revised 2000 budget process. On August 1, 2000,
the City Commission approved the Request for Proposals and authorized City Administration to solicit proposals from engineering
consultants for the study efforts related to the Additional Connection to the Miller Ranch.

DISCUSSION

The RFP was sent to the following consultants:

* BG Consultants of Manhattan, Kansas

* Schwab Eaton of Manhattan, Kansas

* HWS Consulting Group of Manhattan, Kansas

Proposals were received from BG and HWS. On September 19, 2000, interviews were conducted with the consultants. The selection
committee consisted of Bruce Snead, Scott Crain, Jerry Petty, Holly Wilson, Steve Zilkie, Frank Gibbs, and Robert Smail representing the
neighborhood along Amherst Avenue.

Following the direction received from the selection committee, City Administration proceeded to negotiate a contract for the Commission to
review (see attached). Through those negotiations, it became apparent that the $35,000 budgeted for this effort would not cover the efforts
necessary to identify alternate routes with detailed cost estimates for each. The contract, as it is currently written, envisions identifying the
impacts on traffic associated with four potential locations for an additional vehicular/pedestrian corridor connection into the Miller Ranch
(Phase I). Phase I has an estimated not to exceed cost of $28,147.39.

Once this portion of the study is complete, the results will be presented to the City Commission. At that time, City Administration will seek
direction as to whether or not the Commission wishes to obtain more detailed cost estimate information associated with any or all of the
potential corridor alignments (Phase II). Phase II has an estimated not to exceed cost of $26,103.15 for more detailed information on one
corridor with an additional cost of $9,000 for each additional corridor that the Commission may wish to pursue. Funding for Phase II of the
project is undetermined at this time but could come from General Fund Reserves or through a budget amendment in 2001.